Before heading to Oklahoma we had a short, luxurious and relaxing stay in the Dallas Metro area. It was nice to have a bit of a break for a couple days, but still getting to meet with friends and see a bit of the city. We left towards Oklahoma on Thursday, March 3rd, planning to make a stop or two on the way for some site seeing.
Just before reaching the state line we got unexpectedly pulled over by an officer who said we were not signaling when changing lanes. I knew that I was but I did not argue. The cop asked me to step out of the car to question me, then when he was done he went to the passenger side to question Gustaff, to see if our stories matched up I’m guessing. Not much time went by and he let us go, I had him watch to see if our lights were working before setting off, they were.
Our first planned stop was Lake Murray State Park in central Oklahoma near Ardmore. This 5,700-acre lake was surrounded by trails, beaches and historic sites. One of these sites that Gustaff and I got to check out was Tucker Tower, which from the top offered the most spectacular 360 degree view of the Park.
With a bit more free time we decided to check out Turner Falls just 30 minutes north of where we were. Just as we were making our way towards the Falls, a second cop pulled us over, this time because one of our break lights was out. She seemed extremely suspicious and anxious, taking both of our ID’s and insurance information with her. When she returned, like the officer earlier, she let both of us go informing us to get the break light fixed. Finally we got to Turner Falls only to find out the bottom of the Falls were closed when we arrived, which normally is open for people to swim in. Luckily we were still able to drive to the top and hike through the trees to the edge for a view of the Falls from above. We even found a cave which, some of you will know why, felt like I was returning home. After soaking up the sites we made one last stop to visit an old friend of Gustaff’s who’s now living in Ardmore. There we relaxed and broke fast (Baha’is around the world are currently doing our yearly 19 day fast, where we don’t eat or drink during daylight hours).
From Ardmore we headed straight to another gorgeous home, this time in Edmond just outside of Oklahoma City. We were greeted with the warmest of welcomings, and shared some conversation over tea and gelato. Afterwards the husband had us drive the van into the garage to fix the break light. There was no problem with it we just had to clean up the bulb a bit.
The next day Gustaff and I wandered around downtown Oklahoma City, the state Capitol of Oklahoma. We got to see Bricktown and the canal that runs through the streets. We also checked out the Myriad Gardens, and the Memorial of the Oklahoma Bombing, before heading back home to break fast and prepare for our evening show at the Edmond Baha’i Center.
The show went well despite both Gustaff and I battling a bit of a cold. Gustaff was just getting over his so instead of singing the whole time he had the audience join in on most of his songs. I sang my songs but could feel the restriction on my vocal chords holding me back. Still we received wonderful and positive feedback from the friends, and afterwards had desert and drink with everyone downstairs at the Center.
The next morning before sunrise we were treated to the most delicious breakfast of pancakes, fruits, breads, cheeses, jams, and coffee. Later on the couple along with their son took us to Route 66 to see the historic Round Barn and Pops which is a gas station/diner that is famous for having absolutely every kind of flavor of pop (soda) out there. When I say every flavor I truly mean every flavor!
From there we said our goodbyes and hopped on the side roads towards Kansas. We made one last stop in Oklahoma to break fast in a tiny town called Tonkawa. We marveled as the sun set in the prairie region of the United States, engulfing the town in a warm golden blanket. At a local diner called Mary’s Grill I had the worlds largest double burger with Mac n cheese, it was delicious!
Next stop, Hutchinson, Kansas.
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